Made in Chelsea’s Tristan Phipps spoke with the Mirror about his experiences travelling the world — from working on safaris to revealing the unlikely person he is close with that is a ‘nightmare’ to travel with
When it comes to travelling, Made in Chelsea star Tristan Phipps has explored his fair share of destinations. From venturing through the Canadian Rockies to camping out in the bush, the well heeled West Londoner has a wealth of experiences and heart-warming memories.
However, getting out and about for the 29-year-old isn’t all plain sailing. He told the Mirror that there is one person in his life who is a ‘nightmare’ to travel with.
“My mother has worked in hospitality her whole life, a bit of a hospitality tycoon. She has run hotels ands restaurants across the world forever. And for as long as I can remember, she has been the trickiest person to please when it comes to hospitality,” said Tristan.
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“My whole childhood was us going to hotels and then moving because they weren’t up to scratch. There was a trip to France when I was young, where we moved hotels four or five times because none of them lived up to her standards. For me, a holiday is meant to be relaxing — even at that age I understood the importance of that, [but] her and hotels are a nightmare. So that experience of checking in to a hotel then leaving, that’s my worst experience.”
But it isn’t just travelling with his mum that stresses him out. Tristian added: “The idea of a cruise also terrifies me. I’m quite a solitary animal, the idea of being on a cruise and trapped in that environment and not being able to wander off, stresses me out.”
On the topic of his favourites destinations, the star emphasised his lifelong love of South Africa but also shared his fondness for Ibiza, Spain. “Not from the party side, but from how close it is to the UK and how beautiful and misunderstood the island is. I rented a place there, and I only went in winter during the off season. It was a little escape from London and was one of the best places I’ve been. The food, culture scene, yoga, fitness.”
But the E4 star’s exploration of the world started way before the pandemic. When asked about his best holiday, Tristan speaks enthusiastically of a love of safaris which began when he was 13.
“My first ever safari [was the best] – a walking safari with my dad. For me, a hospitality experience is as good as it gets – in terms of service, the beauty of the area you are in, and how connected you can be in the experience, it trumps everything else I have done to date,” he explained.
“It was very much a coming of age moment, where I was introduced into this lifestyle – a refined safari experience. It was a fly camp, living off the grid in a rustic camp in the middle of the bush. No running water, no electricity – the most humbling and grounding experience. That is really where everything that I am doing with my life and career now came from. After that it was more of an obsession, that whole world was opened up to me.”
This trip was the catalyst of Tristan’s career working on and with safaris. “I was kind of detached from my family for so long and a really special element was when my mother and my cousin came out to visit me in South Africa. They came to the lodge where I was working and it was really special to share and welcome them into my world. I know that was really special for them as well,” he explained.
“They were blown away. It’s one thing kind of hearing about it over the phone and seeing photos, but then having your the people you love come to the place you love – is a really special thing.
“I’m often quite protective of that world with people in my life because it’s such a big deal for me. With girlfriends, if they don’t have an affiliation and connection with it, I’m a bit like ‘this probably won’t work out’, but it was such a pleasure to be able to take my family out there.”
Tristan is also an ornithologist — or as he self-describes, a ‘bird boy’ — meaning away from safari animals, he has also enjoyed journeying to destinations such as Botswana, to see some of the world’s most spectacular birds.
The significance of experiencing “true pristine wilderness environments” through safaris could not be more vital than it is now to Tristan. “It’s really important to remind people to ground yourself and to take yourself out the little bubble that we built for ourselves and plonk yourself into that natural world, where there is an ecosystem that functions with or without you,” he said.
“Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. And I feel like it’s very easy to slip into this kind of, ‘I’m very comfortable in my setting’ attitude and you close [yourself] off to the world. All my growth and learning in life has come from pushing my comfort zone and travelling to new places, meeting new people, seeing different environments and learning new cultures, religions and creeds, that sort of thing.
“So for me, I travel for personal development, but also to understand people more.”
Tristan hinted that this is perhaps the reason he likes to travel solo. “I feel like if you’re traveling by yourself, you are forced to experience as much as you can and put yourself out in a way that you wouldn’t if you were with someone else. I enjoy figuring things out and I feel like doing that by yourself is the best way to do it.”
